I've long been intrigued by the parallelism between the first two Caesars, Julius and Augustus, and Jesus Christ. As far back as my Jesuit high school years it was pointed out to me that their histories were strangely intertwined. Then, a few years ago, a client and business partner directed me to a little-known 1899 book on the history of Augustus Caesar titled The Worship of Augustus Caesar. Its author, Alexander Del Mar, (1836–1926) was director of the U.S. Bureau of Statistics during the period 1866-69. He was a respected numismatist as well as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury appointed in 1872. Del Mar's history of Augustus derived from a study of coins, monuments, calendars, eras, and astronomical and astrological cycles. His account established a new chronology and included a survey of history and religion. In the book Del Mar reveals the legerdemain of the early church, conclusively demonstrating how Christianity absorbed pagan religious beliefs and motifs and claimed them as its own. His work exposes hidden religious facts that have been buried for millennia, and reminded me of discoveries I made during my years as a student and professor of classical literature—of "Christian" lines that occur in Aeschylus, Sophocles, and especially Virgil.

As a Christian, will I learn anything new about the roots of Christianity in The Messiah Matrix?

The true history of Christianity has been shrouded in mystery for millennia, partly intentionally and partly out of ignorance. The Messiah Matrix reveals important aspects concerning the roots of Christianity, lost to history until now, that will change the reader's understanding, possibly forever.

Why is Augustus Caesar the central historical figure of The Messiah Matrix?

Augustus Caesar was the most powerful ruler in the history of Rome, and perhaps the most powerful ruler in the history of the Western World. His Pax Romana, the two-hundred years of peace he established throughout his empire after taming the entire periphery of the Mediterranean, which the Romans referred to as mare nostrum, "our lake," remains unrivalled in world history. He was all-powerful and exerted vast, pervasive influence throughout his Empire, an influence that remains with us to this day. His shrewd policies concerning religious tolerance, celebrated in the construction of the Pantheon in Rome, initially led him to allow continuance of the religions of the nations he conquered. He eventually realized that a multi religious empire would lead to civil unrest so he took measures to create a single religion that he believed would engender peace among the nations.

Is The Messiah Matrix anti-Christian?

No, if we define Christianity as a way of life incorporating the distillation of thousands of years of spiritual wisdom, then The Messiah Matrix supports that aspect of Christianity wholeheartedly. On the other hand, if we define Christianity as literal history in which the Son of God preached and performed miracles in Judea, the novel demonstrates that this literalist view was deliberately constructed, as readers of the novel will discover. The Messiah Matrix actually glorifies Christianity's origins by revealing the truth about the universal principles at the foundation of the Christian religion.

How can I determine fact from fiction in The Messiah Matrix?

You'll find a chart of actual historical data versus Biblical/mythical history at the end of the novel. All of the factual elements in this chart can be found in The Messiah Matrix. I've also provided an extensive bibliography listed on this website for the intrepid reader! And I welcome other questions, and your feedback on the subject.